It's You and Me
by Rimet
Summary: Teresa lays her arm on his shoulder, places her hand around the back of his neck, and stands on her tiptoes to be eye level with him. She brings her face just inches from his and whispers, "No. It was nice" What really hapened pre-Maze Runner? R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is pre-maze. WICKED is just finishing their plans, about to put the maze in effect. Thomas and Teresa do not know that they will once be part of the trials, in fact, there's a lot they don't know. Beware: This chapter has lots o' fluff, but it slowly dwindles with time. _

_Character__ List:  
Thomas and Teresa, you know them  
Ralph, Thomas and Teresa's "babysitter"  
Mr. Newbit, in charge of many things at WICKED but mostly in building the maze _

* * *

Thomas was sitting in a large cement room, reviewing the final plans for the Maze. He was with the same employee that he has been with for the past three days, although he couldn't recall his name. He kind of hated that the employee was here; it was as if WICKED didn't trust him.

"So when will the Maze will be ready to go?" Thomas asked, staring at the large computer screen in front of him. It showed a layout of the Maze, everything that was finished was color-coated blue, and if it was in progress, it was red. There was a lot of red.

"We think next week, sir," the WICKED employee said. Thomas loved that- being referred to as "sir." Even if Thomas was only fifteen years old, he and Teresa were pretty high up in ranks. He was young when he was taken from his mother, back when the Flare was driving her crazy. It was a hard thing to think about; a memory that still ignited pain in his chest. WICKED had wanted him for his intelligence, but mostly, because he was immune.

"Excellent," Thomas whispered, in awe of the design. There was not a flaw to be seen in the blueprints, the Maze would serve its purpose beautifully. Not that he knew much of what was going on; no one would tell him anything other than it would invent a cure for the Flare. "You have all the candidates ready?"

The worker nodded, and Thomas noted by his name tag that he was called Ralph. "How many of them are there?"

Ralph answered slowly, as if he wasn't sure Thomas could be trusted with the information. "It is my understanding that 43 subjects have been chosen for the test, sir."

"What do you mean, subjects?" Thomas asked. The air in the underground devolpment room seemed to get colder as the silence dragged on. Ralph was searching for an answer, but trying his hardest not to show it. "Mr. Newbit has advised everyone to call them subjects from now on." He finally said, choosing his words carefully. Thomas chewed on the inside of his cheek. "That doesn't seem fair, Ralph."

"No, sir. It doesn't."

"They're people too," Thomas thought aloud.

"Yes, sir."

"Why can't we call them by their names?"

"I hate to disagree with you, Thomas," Ralph said, trying not to provoke the boy. "But as long as they are enrolled in the WICKED plan, they are subjects." Thomas sighed, seeing the conversation as a lost cause. "Can I meet them?"

Ralph looked at him for the first time since entering the development room earlier that morning. "I don't have any authority on those matters."

"I'm building the stupid Maze and I can't meet anyone but you?" Thomas asked, more bored and lacking human interaction than annoyed.

"I'm afraid not, sir," Ralph answered, adverting his gaze back to the computer screen. Thomas wasn't upset, but he decided to play with the stubborn employee. "Ralph, why do you work here if you can't control your own destiny?" He asked, trying his hardest to be innocent.

"That question does not make sense, sir," He responded without missing a beat.

Thomas hopped down from his chair. "Sure it does. You just have to think about it," He waked over to Ralph and Thomas put his hand on hand on his shoulder. "You don't get to socialize, Ralph. You sit here and babysit me all day."

"I am pleased with my job, Thomas. Now, If you would please continue reviewing-" Thomas let out an airy chuckle, something someone of high social class would do. "Oh, Ralph. Naive, little Ralph. Why do you keep this job?"

Ralph's eyes were like pinpoints staring at the wall intensely as he tried to get out of this conversation. "Thomas, please continue reviewing-"

"You could be having the time of your life!" Thomas interrupts, widening his arms as if envisioning a rich landscape before him. "Charming man like you doesn't deserve to watch me and my female companion all day long."

"Sir, go back to the maps." Ralph grunted through clenched teeth.

Thomas removed his hand from Ralph's shoulder and shrugged. "Just promise me when I'm done here, you'll have fun. Can you do that for me, buddy?" Thomas liked acting, and he wasn't half bad at it. He could pretend he was someone else, in another world, with another personality. He and Teresa would often make skits that would cause them to go rolling with laughter for ever afterwards. It would take away the pain of being abandoned.

Thomas started to walk back to review the Maze, when he thought he heard a mumble from Ralph. "You won't be leaving anytime soon, kid." Thomas turned to face Ralph, not trusting his ears.

"Did you say something?" He asked.

"No, sir. I did not." Thomas stared at Ralph, not being able to detect a lie from his stony face or to distinguish between a cough from words. Suddenly, the doors burst open and a girl Thomas knew all too well stood in the frame.

"Busy?" she asked in her normally-chipper attitude. Thomas couldn't help but stare as the light from the hallway shone behind her, causing her long black hair shine and making her eyes sparkle as beautiful as ever.

"Conveniently not, Miss Agnes. Please do come in," Thomas said in a mock-British accent, the one she had said was "extremely cheesy and over-done." Teresa made a small curtsy in the doorway and then shuffled to the screen in a less-than-graceful manner that made Thomas laugh.

She curtsied again to greet Ralph and then joined Thomas in laughter. Ralph, as always, remained still, but he was in a considerably better mood now that Teresa was here.

"Where have you been all day?" Thomas asked her. Usually, they spent the whole day together, and Thomas had to admit he had missed her.

"Got called in to a special meeting," she explains. "Directors said I was far too intellectual for the program and that I had to be sent to the bigger headquarters in Hong Kong for their program."

Thomas suppressed a grin and copied her playful smirk. "Teresa Agnes, smarter than the Almighty Thomas? I doubt it." They both broke into laughter, Teresa first and Thomas following because he couldn't help but smile when she did, and the room is filled with the same playful atmosphere as every other day.

"Okay, for real now. You gonna tell me where you were?" Thomas asks, sliding into his plastic chair. Teresa mimes zipping her lips and throwing the key over her shoulder.

"Come on, no secrets, remember?" Thomas prods and she sighs over dramatically.

"Fine. But you have to guess first."

"Okay, one guess."

"No, three."

"Two?"

"Nope."

"Two point two five?"

"Nuh-uh."

Now it's Thomas's turn to sigh. "I guess. Um, were you fighting a frog?"

Teresa's nose crinkles in a way Thomas can only describe as adorable. "You know I hate frogs."

"That's right," Thomas recalls, although he hadn't forgotten. "Were you... eating a hot dog?"

She giggled and a "No, Tom" followed. Thomas thought long and hard for his last guess. "Did you get your belly button pierced?" he says in a loud whisper. "Because its just a phase, Teresa. We all grew out of those wanna-be-punk ages."

"I got a haircut, you ass," she says between laughs. "A whole 3/4ths of an inch, and if you weren't such a butt wipe you would have noticed," Teresa says matter-of-factly and Thomas clutches his chest above his heart.

"Ow! Hurtful words, Grandma."

Teresa opens her mouth in a gasp and slaps Thomas's bicep. "Hardly! I'm only two months older than you," Thomas rolled his eyes and dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Whatever," he says, although he knew that. "All I know is that my birthday's coming up and you're going to have to be nice to me for a whole day."

"It won't be that hard," she announces, "because I am a much better person than you."

"No buttwipe's or ass's or stupid's allowed," Thomas reminds her, but she nods and says, "I can do that."

They talk about everything and nothing until one twenty-two and decide to get lunch. They walk down to the cafe with Ralph trailing behind. Teresa begins her daily complain of "I'm hungry and we should eat earlier," but Thomas argues that "all the people are there though." The two figured out when they were first named Creators that the workers in WICKED love a celebrity; and two 12 year old Creators definitely fell into that category. The way they flocked to the table where Thomas and Teresa were sitting disturbed the two children and often scared them into silence.

The two had been adopted by WICKED from their Flare-infected parents at the age of eight, and at first stayed away from each other, unknown of the others existence. After a short test, the Creators had deemed them smart enough to become a Creator themselves- after intense tutoring, of course. They were the only two who were picked, so they stuck together for the four years of what they liked to call "Super School." At first, Teresa wasn't too fond of Thomas, but a gifted cookie had quickly changed her mind. The two have been inseparable since.

Settling on a soggy hamburger and wilted side salad, they sat down in the empty cafeteria. The chairs were like every other in the building, hard and cold and uncomfortable, and they often reminded Thomas of a hospital waiting room. Squirming around every other minute to get comfortable, the two ate their meal with plastic utensils in peace.

Teresa was rambling on about something- Thomas was too busy watching her lips form the words to pay attention- when she suddenly stopped, agape mouth full of lettuce. Thomas noticed the silence and looked up from cutting his hamburger. He said, "What?" at the same time she asked, "You cut your hamburger?"

The two laughed and Teresa asked again. Thomas looked down, slightly embarrassed, and said, "Yeah, my mom used to cut hers and... I don't know, I've just kept doing it."

Teresa didn't finish chewing before she quickly added, "No, no it's totally okay! I do that too."

"Really?" Thomas asked, surprised anyone else did.

"Yeah," She reassured, now finished with her mouthful. "My friends used to make fun of me at school because I'd need a fork for my burger."

"Me too," Thomas added. Smiling, Teresa stabbed her fork into her salad and kept eating.

"It's you and me Tom, against these Finger-Food Eaters," she said with a light shake if her head, and Tom smiled at the mention if his name. "You and me."


	2. Chapter 2

"Happy Birthday!"

Thomas awoke from his dream with a start. Not that he had dreamed of anything pleasant- he never really did anymore. Mostly, he would be transported back into a painful memory, forced to relive it until someone came to wake him. Sometimes he wished that he could wipe everything he remembered away, left with only his name and all the time he had spent with Teresa. But there was something about waking up at two in the morning on his birthday did not put him in a good mood. He groaned against the harsh light and buried himself under the covers.

"Get up, you lazy bum," Teresa yelled, and Thomas shushed her, afraid she would wake the guards, but she waved him off. "I already checked, no one in these halls for three more minutes."

Thomas groaned again and tried to burrow deep into the safety of his bed, but Teresa yanked the covers to the cold cement floor. "Nope, you don't have much time to get ready the way it is and we have to go."

Thomas pulled himself to the edge of his bed and swung his feet onto the floor, the cold already seeping through his thin pajamas. "Where are we going?" he asked groggily.

Teresa smiled in a way that made the air in Thomas's room seem warmer, and she exclaimed, "On an adventure."

The two were slinking through darkened corridors, their dark clothing hiding them from grazing eyes. Teresa wouldn't tell Thomas where she was leading him, only that he was going to love it. They sneaked behind many guards, although Thomas was sure they were being watched on camera. Teresa led him down a hallway he had no recognition of, and silently opened a door to an unmarked room. Before she entered, she turned around to Thomas.

"Close your eyes," she instructed, clearly impatient. Thomas did as he was told, and Teresa held his hand and guided him into the dark room. The light leaked through Thomas's eyelids as Teresa flipped a switch and she excitedly told him to open his eyes.

His eyes absorbed the setting: "Happy Birthday Tom" banners and multi-colored confetti thrown about the room; a long table with a sloppily decorated cake sitting atop it; chairs with cushions; balloons littering the floor. Teresa waiting expectantly as Thomas tried to think of something to say. Finally, he broke the silence.

"This is certainly better than what I did for your birthday." Teresa's eyes lit up and she asked, "Really?" as if she didn't already know. Thomas laughed. "Overachiever," he said to her.

"Hey, you wanna spend the whole day having fun, or do you want to keep calling me names?" Teresa smiled thinly and raised an eyebrow.  
"The whole day?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, all twenty-four-minus-two hours left of it."

"Don't we have to go to the development room again?" He asked, skeptical of the plan.

"Come on, Thomas," Teresa whined. "The only thing that isn't done with the Maze is the Homestead, and you don't even need to be there for that."

"Are you sure they won't need us for anything?"

Teresa put her hands on her hips. "Do you want to spend twenty-four-minus-two hours with me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then shut up and eat your cake."

_

Thomas and Teresa sat in that room until breakfast, and already they were feeling tired from little sleep. They lumbered out into the cafe and grabbed a bowl of cereal. Sneaking the bowls back to the decorated room, they ate breakfast followed by cake and invented a new game to play with balloons. They ate lunch at their normal time, careful to not get in the way of anyone, and stayed in the room laughing and giggling until dinner. Thomas suggested was about to suggest they go eat when Teresa stopped him.

"Ready for your big surprise?" She asked, barely being able to contain a smile.

"There's more?" Teresa nodded her head and started to pull on her sweatshirt. Thomas followed her lead and they both shoved on their tennis shoes. As Teresa opened the door, Thomas couldn't help but ask where they were going. Teresa's face broke into a smile and she whispered, "Outside."

Thomas was quiet the rest of the trip as he followed Teresa down a maze of hallways. He could remember the last time he had been outside- when he was first brought to the WICKED complex. Finally, they approached a metal door with a keypad. Teresa's fingers flew over the numbers and after a sequence of beeping, the latch to the door clicked open. She swept the area and quickly slid through the opening with Thomas on her heels.

A breeze hit their faces and Thomas felt like crying with relief as the smell of fresh grass stung his nostrils. Trees surrounded them, wafting a smell of pines to the two through the chain-link fence surrounding the area. Thomas noticed a picnic table off to the left and thought this must be some sort of recreational place. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened them, he saw Teresa carefully studying him, looking for a reaction. Thomas's face broke into a smile and he grabbed Teresa's hand, giving it a quick squeeze, one that sent electrifying spikes down both their spines.

"Teresa..." Thomas started, breathless- partly because of the fact that he was outside, and partly because he was holding Teresa's hand. He looked at her and she smiled expectantly, waiting for an answer, and Thomas got so lost in her blue eyes, it was like he was swimming. He stared at her, memorizing her face; the way her lips curled when she smiled, how her pale freckles crossed the bridge of her nose. Coming back to his senses, he quickly pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, "It's beautiful."

She nestled her head in the crook of his neck and said, "I thought you'd like it." Her hair was tickling his cheek as he asked, "You did?" They pulled away and looked out into the beautiful sunset ahead of them, the hues of red and orange hanging in the crisp sky, and Teresa proudly announced, "Actually, I knew you'd like it." Thomas snuck a side glance at her. "Thanks" he said through a small smile.

After a while of standing and breathing in the fresh air, the two sat down against the building and silently watch the sunset through the chain fence. Even after the sun was past the horizon, the two sat in twilight willing the sun to come back. It's not until they could see the constellations breaking through the dark tapestry of the night sky that Teresa whisperd, "We should probably go back."

Thomas is flung from his daydreams as he agrees. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty tired."

Teresa stood up and giggled, "You're not done with me yet, Tom. We've still got three hours of your fabulous sixteenth birthday left."

"Can't the birthday boy choose when he wants to sleep?" Thomas whined but Teresa just shook her head. They made their way back to the celebration room unharmed and talk for the last three hours of the day. Teresa pulled out two peanut butter sandwiches and handed one to Thomas.

"Here's your Sweet Sixteen birthday dinner," she says in a posh voice.

"Wow, Teresa. Couldn't you have at least gotten jelly?" Thomas wrinkled his nose in mock disgust. "You are such a disappointment."

Finally, the night came to an end and Thomas walked Teresa back to her room at midnight. As they came to her door, Thomas lightly grabbed her wrist. She turned to face him, and he whispered, "Thank you."

She nodded, and Thomas is swimming in her eyes again. He stares at them, so deep and rich that they could go on forever. Without even thinking, he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Shocked, he opens his eyes and quickly pulls back.

"Oh, God. I'm sorry, Teresa. I wasn't thinking and-"

"No."

Thomas is startled. "What?"

Teresa laid her arm on his shoulder and placed her hand around the back of his neck and stood on her tiptoes to be eye level with him. She brought her face just inches from his and whispered, "No. It was nice"

Suddenly, they were kissing again, a light touch, but just enough for them to melt into each other. Thomas put his hands on her hips as sparks make their way up and down his back, starting from his neck and electrifying his whole body. He pulled away to breathe, and the absence of her lips on his was so startling that he brought up a hand and touched it to his mouth to trap the warmth.

Teresa lowered herself from her toes and softly dropped her arm to her side. She slowly backed away to the door, not wanting to leave, but knowing she has to. She couldn't hold down a smile as she whispered, "Night, Tom."

Thomas managed to whisper, "Good night, Teresa," before she closed the door. He walked to his room without dropping his smile and that night, tainted memories don't haunt his dreams.

That night, he dreamt of her.**  
**


	3. Chapter 3

Thomas extended his cold hand to the fair haired boy in front of him. Accepting his firm grip, the boy explained himself with his unfamiliar accent.

"Newt. Eighteen. From Britain. Pleasure to meet you, Thomas."

Thomas released the boy's hand and took a step back. "Ditto," he said, at a loss of words for such situation. He was not used to elders treating him with such respect. Newt's small smile stretched slowly across his face.

"I hear you're the one building the Maze," a figure from behind Newt spoke. He had dark hair, too shaggy for Thomas's liking, and was a little shorter than Thomas himself, but still looked as if he packed a mean punch.

"Yeah, and my friend Teresa is helping me." He paused a second, blushing at the thought of her. Two nights ago, they had shared their first kiss. Thomas hadn't seen her at all yesterday, and he worried she was avoiding him. He had to admit, the thought of striking up a normal conversation now knowing the way her lips felt on his seemed unlikely and would turn out awkward at best, but he still wanted to see her. "Well, helped," he continued. "Only thing left is the Homestead, and I suppose that's almost done by now."

The dark hair boy only nodded, and went to step back behind Newt. "I didn't seem to catch your name," Thomas said, questioningly.

The boy grunted and said, "Name's Minho. Seventeen. Moved from Hong Kong at the age of two, lived in California most of my life." Thomas nodded, and mock-saluted Minho before moving down the line to meet the other boys. There were only five boys that Thomas was allotted to meet out of the fourteen or so that were being sent into the Maze first.

The next boy was tall and stringy, his limbs hanging like limp noodles. His messy strawberry-blond hair desperately needed to be trimmed and even with the lack of warmth, it was sticking to his forehead with sweat. "My name is Mark," he began. "I'm sixteen and from Denver, sir." Minho scoffed at the boy, concealing a "suck-up" in between coughs. Thomas only stuck out his hand, trying not to make a face as Mark's sweating hand limply grabbed his own.

"Nice to meet you," he said and quickly walked to the next candidate, while trying to wipe off his hand with drawing little attention. The next boy was tall, tan-skinned, and had little to no hair. He introduced himself as Alby, but provided no other information. Thomas decided not to test his luck by pressing for details and moved on.

The last boy was small and round, his light brown hair sticking up. His face still had that babyish look to it, and Thomas guessed he couldn't be over ten.

"Chuck," he began. "Thirteen as of two days ago, and from Montana." Thomas reached his hand out to shake the small boy's. "My birthday was also two days ago, although you don't look a day over twelve." He winked playfully at Chuck and smiled.

Chuck put his hands on his hips and stuck his chest. "I do have a special power that allows me to keep my childlike features. Many people are, in fact, jealous of me." Thomas chuckled and stepped back to address the boys as a whole, but before he could speak, Ralph emerged from his observing spot on the wall.

"It's time for lunch, sir," he said, his sentences short and clipped, into Thomas's back. Thomas clapped loudly. "My babysitter informs me that it's time for lunch. Ralph," he says to the guard without turning around. "Be a dear and tell me what they're serving." Thomas hears a chuckle from somewhere in the room along with an irritated sigh from Ralph.

"I do not know, sir." Thomas frowned. "Well that isn't very helpful, is it Ralph?" Thomas could hear the guards teeth grind together as he answered, "I guess not."

Thomas nodded. "I suppose you will just have to find out for yourselves." He turned and started to walk away when Newt asked, "Why don't you come eat with us, Thomas?"

He paused and spun on his heels. "I usually finalize plans over lunch break..." Thomas lied. Usually, he waited until everyone was done eating before he and Teresa went to the Cafe.

"So you never eat?" Minho asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I just," Thomas started, fumbling on his words. "I need to... Um..."

"Come on, take a break from your smart-boy stuff," Newt said, and Chuck began to nod his head in agreement. "Now that I think about it, I don't know if I've ever seen you in the Cafe."

Thomas twisted his thumbs around, giving up on the pointless lying. There was no way he would get out of this. Sighing, he turned to Ralph. "Go tell Teresa to eat at normal people time." He nodded and quickly exited the room, happy to be leaving Thomas's company.

-

"You must be pretty special to need a bodyguard all the time," Chuck said as the six boys make their way down the dimly lit corridor. Thomas laughs and responds, "No, its just that no one around here trusts me or Teresa- although, they seem to give Teresa a little longer leash than me."

"But you're pretty bloody smart," Newt remarked. Thomas just shrugs. "I guess so."

"You guess?" Minho said. "You're building the freaking Maze!"

"Correction: Teresa and I are building the freaking Maze."

"What does it even do?" Chuck asked, his voice small. "The Maze, I mean." Thomas frowned and said he didn't know, reminding the boys about the lack of trust. They approached the Cafe, and every seated body went quiet at their appearance, all eyes trained on Thomas.

As they boys lead him to their usual spot, a tidal wave of whispers broke out, no doubt recognizing the youngest Creator. As they sat down next to the other boys near the edge of the table, Newt whispered, "I can see why you don't eat."

Thomas nodded and tries to push down the flighty feeling in his stomach. Someone passed him a small bowl of macaroni and cheese and he immediately took a bite, trying to push the sickly feeling in his stomach away.

Minho gestured to Thomas as he sat down across from him and said, "Guys, this is Thomas," as if they didn't already know. "Thomas, this is the guys."

Thomas looked up from his lunch and managed a small wave and "Hi, guys." They carry on with normal conversation, trying to make Thomas feel as comfortable as possible.

He is relieved to find that no one barges his table, demanding answers to questions or autographs, but he does manage to remain sour. It's only been five minutes, he tells himself.

After Thomas had worked his way through his macaroni and cheese, Teresa walked in with a group of about fifteen girls. Minho pulled an empty table to the edge of the one occupied by the boys and the girls huddled around it, stealing abandoned chairs. Teresa pulls one up next to Thomas and smiles at him.

"Hey, stranger," she says, playfully poking his arm. "I haven't seen you in ages. I was afraid you were avoiding me."

Thomas cocks an eyebrow. "Are you saying you missed me?" He was trying to ask a question that he couldn't say out loud, not here, even with the roar of conversation in the Cafe: you're not weirded out that we kissed?

Teresa smiled weakly and says, "Of course I missed you!" She points to his bowl of half eaten food and quickly asks, "Are you going to eat that?" her smile slowly fading.

"I'm afraid so."

She stuck out her lip in a pout, and Thomas felt like taking her cheeks in his hands. Again, he pushed the thought from his head as she whined, "You're going to make me walk _all the way over there?"_

"Does the princess need someone to get her food for her?" Thomas teased. Teresa stuck her tongue out at him and scooted the chair back to get her own bowl of food. As soon as she was out of hearing distance, every pair of eyes at the huge table turned to him. Thomas could feel his cheeks redden as he asked, "What?"

Newt's sly smile consumed his face. "I think you know what we're wondering."

Thomas returned to his food, quickly shoveling spoonfuls of macaroni into his mouth. One of the girls started to sing, "Thomas and Teresa sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G" His blush deepens as Chuck claps his hands and proclaimed, mouth wide open, "So it's true!"

"No, it's not!" Thomas hissed through a mouthful of food. The girl sitting next to Minho laughs and says, "It's _so_ true."

"No, it's not like that." Thomas explained, irritated.

"I'm not blind, mate," Newt said. "Either It's true, or you want it to be true." Thomas just shook his head seeing the argument as a lost cause, and when Teresa returned conversation broke up and returned to normal, although every once in a while someone would sneak glances and the two, smile an all-knowing smile, and then look away, quietly laughing to them self.

-

Thomas is jolted from a daydreaming state from a knock at the door. After lunch, he and Teresa went back to the development room and quietly watched through a series of cameras and computer screens as workers slowly attached the roof to the Homestead. When the roof was done and Ralph said it was okay for them to leave, Teresa noted she wasn't feeling well, and they decided to rest up and meet again before dinner. Thomas looked at the clock above his door and saw that is was only 6:43, a half hour before they usually eat.

He opened the door, too slow, apparently, for Teresa. She burst through, her crossed arms hitting Thomas square in the chest. "We need to talk," she huffed, seemingly unfazed after running into Thomas, and walked around him, plopping down on the edge of his just-made bed. He closed the door, not knowing what to think. Turning around to face Teresa, he asked, "Okay, might I ask about what?"

Teresa pulled her legs up onto the bed and crossed them. "I think you know," She said, her eyes studying his face. This is it, Thomas thought. It was a bad idea to kiss her. How could I be so stupid and ruin our whole friendship? But he beat around the bush, pretending to be clueless, not wanting to face the conversation that might distance him forever from his best friend.

"I would be happy if you would tell me wha-"

"Oh, cut the shit, Tom." Teresa interjected, staring pointedly at Thomas. "And stop talking like that!" When he didn't respond, she threw her hands in the air and kept talking, letting off steam. "All proper and high and mighty; like you're the freaking king around here or something." He walked over and sat down next to her on the bed.

As the silence swallowed the room, she crossed and uncrossed her arms then pretended to fix her shirt. "Were you avoiding me?" She closed her mouth tightly, surprised how she sounded- scared and desperate.

Thomas shook his head, focusing on a dent in the colorless wall across from him. "Where were you?" He asked, watching her from the corner of his eyes.

Teresa's voice was quiet when she answered, "Looking for you, mostly." Thomas thought back to the previous day. It had been normal, watching the Maze via computer screen, and applying a series of levers and pulleys so the large concrete doors could open and close. He annoyed Ralph and drew blueprints, same thing as every other day. Except Teresa wasn't there to help him.

Something was bugging Thomas. If Teresa was looking for him, why couldn't she find him? He and Ralph were in the development room again, same as always. Thomas ruled out any other possibilities other than she just got lost. That was all.

Thomas looked down and studied his hands, scared to face her. She had stopped fiddling with her shirt, even though she didn't need to, and placed both her arms on either side of her body.

"We can't just go around and pretend it didn't happen, Tom. I mean, we... we kissed," Teresa said quietly after a long silence, not taking her gaze off the floor. Thomas sighed. "I know."

Her hand in between them was playing with the bed sheet, rubbing it back and forth between her fingers. She seemed almost embarrassed when she spoke. "It's not like I didn't _want_ it to happen." Fighting all sense, Thomas nervously covered his shaking hand with hers. She turned her hand over so her palm was facing up, and intertwined their fingers.

"I actually kind of liked it," She said, staring at the little distance between them. Thomas tugged gently, moving her arm with his. As she looks up, he pulled their laced together hands to his hip, and broke the touch, leaving her hand there. Looking at her face, he said, "I can't remember if I liked it or not."

Teresa fought down a smile as she whispered, "I guess we'll have to try it again then?"

Thomas smiled and leans in, with Teresa doing the same. Soon, their lips met, and Thomas feelt the flighty sensation in his stomach again; only this time, he welcomed it. As they kissed, Teresa moved her arm from his hip up to his shoulder and soon to his neck, pulling him closer to her. They kissed until neither of them can breathe, not wanting to let each other go. When they pulled away, their breath mixed together in front of them, and the room feelt much warmer to Thomas than it ever did before.

When she opened her eyes, Teresa raised her eyebrows as if to ask, _So?_ Thomas spoke quietly, his voice cracking; "Yeah, I definitely liked it." They both smiled at each other, their foreheads resting on the other's. Thomas couldn't help but stare at her eyes, how they never seemed to end, how the blue clarity of them could hold an ocean all by itself.

"I guess I am a pretty good kisser," He said to break the silence.

"Oh, shut up," Teresa said and lightly punched his arm. She slipped her head onto Thomas's shoulder, and he grabbed her hand, binding them together. They enjoyed the silence, simply breathing in the other's existence.

"Does this mean you're my boyfriend now?" Teresa asked, with Thomas's hand still intertwined in her own. He looked down at her and shyly asked, "Do you want me to be?" She didn't answer, nervously chewing on the inside of her lip.

Thomas wanted to yell,_ Yes! Yes, I would love Teresa Agnes to be my girlfriend!_ but he stayed quiet. He instead stood, gently lifting her off his shoulder and said, "We should go get something to eat."

Teresa grabbed his hand as they walked to the Cafe, this one gesture answering the previous question.****


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! Sorry, it's been a while since I updated, but I was out of ideas and just ugh. Sorry. This is the next day of the previous chapter, pretty easy to understand from there.

Characters:  
Thomas/Teresa/Ralph- already know 'em.  
The Man in the Suit- doesn't have a name yet, but he works for WICKED.  
Oh, and I gave Thomas the last name of Sterling. Enjoy!

* * *

The small room was silent as Thomas took in the information he just heard. "What do you mean?" He asked, his head spinning with possibilities as he stared at the concrete walls.

"You heard me, Mr. Sterling," the figure said from across the table, his voice grating Thomas's ears.

"Hearing and understanding are two different things, Mr. Sunglasses," Thomas shot back, never quite catching the man's name. The Maze had been finished yesterday, and Thomas had given the alert to start the Variables. What he didn't know, was that he wasn't told everything that was going to be taking place in the Maze, and now he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to.

The man in the suit sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hands still folded. "Their memories will be erased. They will have no definite knowledge of their life beforehand, although we will leave basic motor functions so that the subjects are not sent back to a time of infantry." Thomas took in the information, trying to figure out the main scheme of where WICKED was heading. Although Thomas was bright, he was not seeing how anything connected to the catastrophe of the outer world.

"They will remember that they had a life, but not how they led it. For instance, Subject A will remember what a television set is, but he will have no clues as to what he watched on said television set. This process is called a Swipe, Mr. Sterling, and as you have no say in what takes place in the Maze, as your guardian so signed in your contract, your input will be heard, but will not affect how anything takes place."

Thomas simply stared at the man across the table from him; his laid back attitude while talking about the demise of these children, his sunglasses shielding his eyes from emitting any form of emotion, the black suit stretched over his body, seeming too small for him.

"How can you do this? Take away their memories?" Thomas asked the man, still in shock about the whole situation.

"The process is both simple yet intricate. A small disk will be placed which can mimic the actions of a magnet to-"

"I didn't ask _how_ you'll do it, I asked_ how can_ you," Thomas scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "They're people, Mr. Fancy Suit. Some of them will die! How can you do this, having dead children on your conscious?"

"I'll have you know, Mr. Sterling, that I will not being doing the Swipe myself nor will I be taking part in the endeavours of the Maze Experiment. I am merely a spokesman." The man seemed irritated now, and he leaned forward onto the table, resting on his elbows.

"And I can assure you that it is not a life-threatening process, sir. You will soon find that it is nothing to worry about."

Thomas was silent for a while. "Can the disk be removed?" The man in the suit stretched a small smile.

"Yes, it can. You see, the disk emits a wave through the subject's brain-"

"Don't call them subjects," Thomas growled. "They're people; _children_ for Christ's sake."

The man nodded. "The disk will send out a wave through the person's brain, allowing them to keep knowledge, but not access memories. The disk is not flawless; if a superior mind tries hard enough, they can unlock some memories, but that takes much willpower. After the Trials are over, the disk can be removed through a reverse-swipe, allowing the person everything from their former life, so to speak, with no lasting impairments." The man seemed pleased with himself as Thomas waved him off, and went to stand up.

"Not too fast, Mr. Sterling," the man spoke, standing up himself. "We have plans for you."

"I promised someone I would meet them for lunch," Thomas objected, and walked to the door thinking of Teresa. Before Thomas could exit the room, Ralph entered, blocking the doorway with Teresa in tow behind him.

"Tom," she whispered, her eyes wide, communicating the the urgency of the situation.

"Don't worry, Thomas," the man said, coming up behind Thomas and encasing the boy's hands in handcuffs, only making Thomas worry more.

"What are you doing?" Thomas asked, his eyes searching frantically for an escape.

"Tom," Teresa whispered again, a tear making its way down her face as she slowly shook her head, causing Thomas to stop struggling enough for the man to snap the handcuffs together.

"Don't make this difficult, boy," Ralph smirked at Thomas, briskly pushing Teresa out the door, the man pushing Thomas out after them.

_"What are you doing,"_ Thomas asked through clenched teeth. "That is classified information, sir," the man answered. "I'm afraid you will find out soon enough." Thomas tried his best to keep his head high as he was paraded through the corridors, wishing desperately he could reach out and grab Teresa's trembling hand, but the men caught him off guard, and he found it hard to compose himself.

When they had reached their destination, still in the WICKED complex, Ralph quickly opened the door and pulled Teresa into the room behind him, the handcuffs leaving harsh marks on her wrists.

The room was huge, with yellowed tile lining the floor and many desks pushed up against the walls, each harboring a worker frantically typing on their computer. As Thomas and Teresa were pushed down the aisle, Thomas could make out a small staircase leading to a loft area, surely holding another office, but for someone of a higher authority.

The kids were brought to the back corner, where a door was hidden. As the man holding Thomas unlocked it, a woman with glasses and black hair pulled up into a hasty bun shot up from her chair, staring at her screen as her mouth lay open, no words coming out. Just as Thomas was pushed into the room, he heard the woman yell.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed, and the whole room seemed to go silent. "Oh, my God, I've found it! I've got it!" Then, the door was shut, the sound reverberating across the walls, and the room was enveloped in darkness. When Ralph turned on the light, Thomas gasped at what he saw.

Metal operating tables.

Two of them.


End file.
